The Detroit News · Mar 30, 2023
Tigers blanked by Rays in season opener
St. Petersburg, Fla. — The Tigers made a lot of encouraging strides offensively this spring. They were second among the 15 teams in Florida in both homers and runs scored.
But they weren’t facing the caliber of pitching they faced Thursday.
In the opener of the 2023 season, the Tigers were blanked the Tampa Bay Rays and their left-handed ace Shane McClanahan, 4-0, before a sellout crowd at Tropicana Field. The crowd, as the Rays celebrate their franchise's 25th anniversary, was announced at 25,025.
BOX SCORE: Rays 4, Tigers 0
McClanahan, who started the All-Star Game for the American League last season, blanked the Tigers on four hits over six innings. He struck out six and walked one.